Dalton Chadwick Kelley, 20, of Chase Park, Batavia, is charged with attempted assault, 3rd, and harassment, 2nd. Kelley is accused of hitting another person in the forehead and of hitting a police officer during an incident at 11:03 p.m. Jan. 3 on Chase Park, Batavia. Kelley was jailed on $2,500 bail. Kelley is also accused of keying two vehicles at 6:25 p.m. the same day and was charged with two counts of criminal mischief, 4th.

Austin L. Wester, 23, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with four counts of possession of a forged instrument, 2nd. Wester is accused of forging four checks belonging to another person in order to cash them.

Devon Devonanir Rodgers, 30, of Pearl Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant out of City Court for alleged violations of the terms of his conditional release.

Alicia Michelle Gomez, 42, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with violation of probation. Gomez was released on a warrant stemming from a complaint in February. Gomez was jailed on $2,500 or $5,000 bond.

Frankie J. McQueen, 26, of Snipery Road, Corfu, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, illegal signal, and aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. Officer Chad Richards was dispatched at 6:51 p.m. Dec. 27 to the area of Thomas Avenue for a report of a red Chevrolet Cobalt being driven erratically and at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was located and stopped at McQueen was identified as the operator.

Samuel A. Torrelli, 24, of Stage Road, Albion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and inadequate headlights. Torrelli was stopped at 10:30 p.m. Dec. 28 on East Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Winston A. Lockhart, 22, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, is charged with two counts of harassment, 2nd. Lockhart was arrested on a City Court warrant after police were dispatched to 29 Holland Ave., Batavia, to investigate an unrelated disturbance. 

Zachary J. Marrow, 26, of Seven Springs Road, Batavia, was arrested on two warrants for alleged failure to appear in City Court after being served subpoenas. Marrow was located by Deputy Mathew Clor and turned over to Sgt. Eric Bolles and arraigned in City Court.

Levi Spikes Jr., 44, of Lewis Place, Batavia, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, 3rd, speed not reasonable and prudent, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, unlicensed operator, driving without insurance. Spikes was allegedly involved in a motor-vehicle accident at 9 a.m. Jan. 1 at 56 Harvester Ave., Batavia.

 Jacob J. Sponaugle, 18, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with driving while impaired by a combination of alcohol and drugs, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, driving a vehicle without an inspection sticker, failure to keep right, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Sponaugle was stopped at 9:46 p.m. Dec. 29 on East Main Street, Batavia, by Officer James Prusak.

Joseph Michael. Smith, 41, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Smith is accused of stealing from his employer, a gas station and convenience store at 629 East Main Street, Batavia, in November. Smith was also charged with petit larceny for allegedly shoplifting from Dick's Sporting Goods.

Justin T. Gladney, 28, no permanent address, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and criminal trespassing, 3rd.

James Derek Wert, 36, of Tracy Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Wert was allegedly involved in an incident at T.F. Brown's on New Year's Eve where he violated an order of protection and struck another person in the face. 

Jonathan R. Hyman, 45, of Drake Street, Oakfield, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, driving a vehicle without an inspection sticker, and criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd. Hyman was stopped at 4:08 p.m. Saturday on Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Kyle Krzemien.

Christopher Patino, 23, of Eagan Boulevard, Henrietta, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, unlawful possession of marijuana, and following too closely. Patino was stopped at 7:11 p.m. Friday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Micheal Lute.

Kenneth Joseph Rumble, 28, of Maple Road, Alabama, is charged with possession of a hypodermic instrument. Rumble was allegedly found in possession of a needle during a search by a probation officer.

Michael A. Shetler, 27, of Stafford, is charged with menacing, 2nd, unlawful imprisonment, criminal mischief, criminal mischief, 4th, acting in a manner injurious to a child. Shetler was arrested by State Police in relation to an incident reported at 9:29 p.m. Saturday in Stafford. No further details released.

Ricky O. Cooper, 40, of Le Roy, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Cooper was arrested by State Police in relation to an incident in Pavilion reported at 11:20 p.m., Nov. 21. No further details released.

James M. Caccamise, 29, of Byron, is charged with forgery of a deed or will. Caccamise was arrested by State Police. No further details released.

Le Roy fire is out at 66 Clay St., Le Roy, for water in the basement and an odor of natural gas.

A chief on scene reports that there is a water main break right outside of the house, which is flooding the house.

UPDATE 2:05 p.m.: RG&E contacted. No ETA on when workers will respond.

Scott Culp of Lima put on a dominating performance over the weekend to capture his second straight Genesee Region USBC Scratch Memorial Tournament title.

The high-revving 39-year-old right-hander posted a wire-to-wire victory – leading both the qualifying and semifinal rounds and capping it with a 215-180 win over Jerry Blair of Le Roy in the championship match of the stepladder finals on Sunday at Letchworth Pines in Portageville.

Using a Storm Crux, Culp, a 240-plus average bowler at Livingston Lanes in Geneseo, rolled 900 to place first in the four-game qualifying round and added 873 in the four-game semifinals to earn the top seed for the stepladder finals with a 1,773 total (221 average).

Both rounds were contested on “Sport” oil patterns (considerably more difficult than “house” shots) – with the qualifying round rolled on Kegel Middle Road (39 feet) and the semifinals and finals on Kegel Route 66 (45 feet).

The event drew 46 entries – down from the 69 that bowled when Culp won the title last year at Medina Lanes.

The victory was worth $600 for Culp, while Blair earned $350.

Blair moved up the ladder by defeating Brady Weber of Perry in a 10^th frame roll-off, 20-9, after the bowlers had tied at 212-212; stopping Don Parrott of Warsaw, 215-176, and edging Kevin Gray Jr. of Warsaw, 220-214. In the semifinal match against Gray, Blair struck on the first ball in the 10^th to secure the win.

Gray won $260 for his third-place finish, while Parrott earned $210 and Weber $160.

The five other finalists were Dana Freeman of Silver Springs ($150), Dean Cadieux Jr. of Oakfield ($140), Mike Pettinella of Batavia ($130), Ron Bacon of Warsaw ($120) and Brian Green of Batavia ($110).

Parrott had the tournament’s high game (279), followed by Culp (278).

The GRUSBC contributed $400 to the prize fund.

Photo -- Scott Culp, left, and Jerry Blair.

Snowy owls have returned to the area. There are currently an estimated three to five in Genesee County. We did not have any consistent sightings last year like we did a few years ago.

This year’s snowy owl irruption (a sudden sharp increase in the relative numbers of a natural population usually associated with favorable alteration of the environment) was caused by a four-year cycle of lemming births that lead to an abundant food supply for the owls in the Arctic Circle this last spring and summer. This large food supply lead to a larger than normal birth rate of owls. Because there are more snowy owls, the young ones need to go further away in the winter to find uncrowded hunting grounds. This is why we currently have so many birds here in Western New York.

The 2014-2014 snow owl irruption was the largest on record (records have been kept on snowy owls since 1890) Given the number of snowy owls that are currently in NY State, this year may surpass even the 2013-2014 irruption.

If you go out to see this winter's snowy owls or any of the other area raptors, please be courteous and safe when doing so. Respect all rules of the road and private property. If you are observing the birds with binoculars try to stay in your car to use it as a blind. If you are trying to photograph the bird, a lens over 400mm is suggested. Do not approach the bird any closer than 100 yards. If the bird is closer than 100 yards to the road it is considered OK to observe from your car. 

Washington Post: Oprah for president in 2020? Here’s everything you need to know.

A skid loader fire is reported at 5263 Bridge Road, Elba.

The skid loader was in a barn but has been pushed out. The caller believes the barn is OK.

Elba fire responding.

UPDATE 12:54 a.m.: A chief on scene reports the skid loader is fully involved and confirms it is out of the barn.

UPDATE 12:57 a.m.:  Now there are no flames; a chief reports, “The fire looks to be pretty snuffed out at this time.” Responding units can come nonemergency and are aduvised to use caution on the snow-covered roads.

It's apparently been 40 years since anybody organized a community skate in the dead of winter on Oatka Creek in the Village of Le Roy, but that's exactly what Jay Beaumont and Jon Marcello, two of the owners of Smokin' Eagle BBQ & Brew, did today.

Beaumont said he remembered regularly skating on the creek when was growing up but thinks nobody wanted to organize anything after a child was hurt around 1980.  Still, there is still a light pole next to the creek and with the help of the highway superintendent, he found out it still works (second photo).

At around 11 a.m. they got a pick-up hockey game going.

Things got a little wild today in Oakfield as local fans got ready for the first playoff appearance by the Buffalo Bills in 18 years.

Sadly, for the fans, the Bills lost to Jacksonville 10-3.

Above, Brad Hilchey, Peter Hilchey, Matthew Doran and Tom Porter.

Second photo, Tom Porter, Brad Hilchey and Matthew Doran.

Third photo, Tom Porter, Brad Hilchey and Matthew Doran.

Photos submitted by Samantha Hilchey.

A person is trapped in a car but is apparently not injured, after a one-vehicle rollover accident at 1636 Judge Road, Alabama.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 7:04 p.m.: A chief reports, vehicle on its side.

UPDATE 7:06 p.m.: A chief confirms, no injury. The subject needs assistance getting out of the car.

A Washington Avenue resident with a criminal history and wanted on a warrant was taken into custody this morning after police were called to a domestic incident where he allegedly threatened to shoot police and later set fire to his own apartment.

Eddie Miles eventually came down a ladder from the back of the apartment on his own, which allowed firefighters to begin attacking the fire in the second floor and attic of 207 Washington Ave., Batavia.

He was taken to the hospital for evaluation of injuries sustained in the domestic incident and the subsequent blaze.

Batavia Police Officer Marc Lawrence said the dispatch center received a call about a domestic incident at the upper apartment at 8:55 this morning. Two officers quickly responded and Miles allegedly smashed a window and threatened to use a firearm against them.

At that point, a perimeter was established in the neighborhood with the aid of the Sheriff's Office and State Troopers. There was a reverse 9-1-1 call placed to neighbors near the scene, telling them to lockdown, shelter in place. 

Police grabbed a ladder from neighbors at the scene, though the woman jump from the stoop roof into the arms of police officers. She was taken to the hospital for the evaluation of injuries sustained in the domestic incident, Lawrence said.

A fire, believed to have been intentionally set by Miles, broke out in the rear of the upper apartment. Miles refused to leave and kept calling 9-1-1, demanding to speak with the female, who had by then been transported to the hospital.

As smoke poured from the house, police were concerned for the safety of firefighters with a potentially armed suspect still at large. The firefighters could not approach the house. An unarmed Miles came out on the roof. Between the very cold weather and the house fire, Lawrence said the bare-footed Miles had some incentive to climb down the ladder unaided. 

He was taken into custody.

Fire scene commander Lt. Greg Ireland said it goes against a firefighter's nature to sit back and watch a house burn but until the suspect was in custody that was all city crews could do. They were initially called to the scene to assist with rescuing the woman from the house, which was not yet on fire when they were called. Once they were cleared to attack the fire, firefighters made quick work of it and contained the fire to the second floor and attack.

Lawrence said police are not certain Miles actually had a firearm; none was found.

At about 1 p.m., City Fire cleared the scene, but police and code enforcement remain on Washington Avenue and the duty sergeant has informed dispatch, this incident will tie up the officers who responded for much of the rest of the day. Additional patrols are on duty.

In addition to other arrests over the past few years, Miles was a suspect in a choking incident and the injection of a purple liquid into a dog in August.

UPDATE 7 p.m.: In response to rumors being spread on social media, we asked if the police used tear gas. Chief Shawn Heubusch said there was no tear gas used. Further, police believe evidence points to Miles starting the fire, not the police.

Photos by Howard Owens. Howard Owens contributed to the reporting of this story.

Video submitted by Jim Horncastle.

UPDATE: Photo submitted by Jim Horncastle.

Press release:

The third ARTiculations Ability Exhibition -- a forum for artists with disabilities in Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties to display their work publicly -- will open at Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) in Batavia on Jan. 19.

Titled "8 X 10," it features the work of Chris Humel, who uses intensely hued acrylics, to depict postage stamps and other mail-related themes. Twenty years ago, he cofounded the still-active band BC Psychos; he will be teaching a five-week course, “Cartoons by Kids” for young people 10 to 15, at GO ART! (Genesee-Orleans Regional Art Council) in Batavia.

A product of a partnership between ILGR and the University Heights Arts Association (UHAA), the exhibit will be on display through March 29^th. The opening reception, featuring Humel on his guitar, is 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan.19th at ILGR’s office, 113 Main St., Suite 5, in Batavia. 

In Humel's own words, "I am a person with disabilities. I am 55 years old. I have been battling schizophrenia and related depressing problems for most of my life. My work is about breaking out of isolation and 'going postal' in a good way, by making contact with artists, writers and through the Post Office."

Other artists with disabilities residing in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties are encouraged to submit their work to this juried competition, as there will be additional ARTiculations planned quarterly exhibits in the future.

For over a year, ILGR has been “art partnering” for people with disabilities with the UHAA, a group of artists in North Buffalo with a commitment to community that places art in businesses and nonprofits through an established ARTpartnering program.

The organizers are pleased to note that the ARTiculations Ability Exhibitions has “mapped” into UHAA’s system by placing a plaque with a Quick Response (QR) code scatter bar graph that can bring up information about it when scanned by your smartphone.

For questions on the event, please call Patricia AbdusSalaam at (585) 815-8501, ext. 400. 

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is a member of the Western New York Independent Living Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

A reader provided these photos of a police barricade on Washington Avenue that is apparently in progress now.

For the past 30 minutes or so there has been a lot of encrypted/scrambled communication on the scanner. 

We have no further information at this time on the incident.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 9:50 a.m.: There's a structure fire here. Black smoke is billowing from the attic of a house. City fire and Mercy medics are responding, The location is between Tracy Avenue and Bank Street.

UPDATE 9:56 a.m.: One person is in custody. There are no life-threatening injuries. The address is 207 Washington Ave. Elba Fire Department is called to provide city firefighters with mutual aid. Sgt. Dan Coffey said this started as a domestic incident and that the subject in custody is suspected of starting the house fire.

UPDATE 10:13 a.m.: Officer Marc Lawrence said a female was rescued from the house fire; she did not have life-threatening injuries.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pursuing ethics reform that would bar state legislators from holding jobs or owning businesses and would establish the expectation -- though not necessarily the pay -- that they are full-time elected officials.

It's the kind of reform that could potentially force Assemblyman Steve Hawley and State Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer to either quit the Legislature or give up their outside business interests.

During her visit to Batavia yesterday, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul said the proposal isn't specifically directed at any current elected officials, including Hawley and Ranzenhofer, but she supports the reform.

When elected officials earn income from sources other than their government jobs, it creates an inherent conflict of interest, she said.

"If you want to serve the people of your state, and this is the highest privilege there is no matter what your level of elective office, you need to respect it and not try to serve two masters," Hochul said. 

"We want legislators focused on them (their constituents) and not their outside income," Hochul added.

These proposals have come along before, Hawley said, and he thinks the idea of a full-time legislature misses the advantages of elected officials living a life outside of politics.

He said one of the problems in this country is we've gotten away from the idea of citizen legislators.

"When a representative's only source of income is being an elected official they lose touch with the reality of everyday life and what real people go through," Hawley said. "No outside income diminishes their grasp on reality.

"When being an elected official is your only source of income, you look at it as an occupation and not an avocation," Hawley said. "That means more conflicts of interest and you need to keep your jobs no matter the legislation and the conflict is greater 100 times over because when that's all you do and it's your only source of income, you will say or do anything to keep that job."

Ranzenhofer, an attorney, agreed with Hawley's main objection to the proposed reform.

"Having outside business interests, whether it's insurance, or being an attorney, or a doctor, or whatever, brings a much more diverse Legislature," Ranzenhofer said. "It means people with real-world experience are serving. I cannot imagine a world where every single member of the legislature is a professional legislator, where that's all they did is legislation and politics."

Hochul said the reform isn't aimed specifically at Hawley or Ranzenhofer, and perhaps for existing members of the Legislature, there could be some sort of grandfather clause that would allow current members to continue to serve.

"I'm not talking about them individually," Hochul said. "I'm talking about the system as a whole. The people of the state deserve to have full-time (legislators)."

Ranzenhofer served on the Senate's judiciary committee and he said his up-to-date, real-work experience working in courts helps inform the debates.

"It's helpful to have people who are engaged in these issues in the real world so we can advise people on how legislation could affect people," Ranzenhofer said.

Hawley has been both an elected official and an insurance company owner, going back to his days on the County Legislature, for 39 years. He said he has consistently handled potential conflicts this way for four decades: he seeks the advice of legal counsel for the elected body.

"There have been a number of occasions where I've asked legal counsel about something we were voting on, whether there was an issue," Hawley said. "There has never been any finding of a conflict that has come to the fore."

If the insurance industry has ever thought they had it in the bag with Hawley, that simply hasn't been the case, he said. He has on several occasions, he said, voted against the lobbying requests of the insurance industry. One example he raised was legislation that would have required agents to disclose to new clients that they were earning a commission from the sale of a policy. The agents' association opposed the legislation and Hawley voted in favor of the reform.

"I think probably 99 percent of the people understand that, but even if just 1 percent don't understand it, then I don't have a problem (with the disclosure)," Hawley said.

Though he keeps busy with attending public events and meeting with constituents, Hawley said he isn't convinced there is enough work in Albany to sustain a full-time Legislature.

Press release:

The Batavia Police Department has received multiple complaints of a robo-call scam from Apple saying your iCloud account has been corrupted. Apple has been contacted and confirmed they do not make robo- calls to notify customers of corrupted accounts.

The Batavia Police Department would just like to remind the citizens not to provide any personal or bank information over the phone.

If you feel you have been part of this scam or a similar scam, you are encouraged to contact the Batavia Police Department and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). www.ic3.gov

A barn with both doors open on Transit Road, potentially endangering the lives of animals corraled inside, prompted a call to dispatch. "This caller is concerned about the welfare of the animals due to the cold weather."

The location is reportedly a half mile north of Route 262, which is on the border between Elba and Byron. An animal control officer is heading there now to check their welfare. 

Press release:

Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging. It is a progressive and fatal brain disease that is the most common form of dementia.

“The Basics: Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease” is a free class presented by the Alzheimer’s Association Western New York Chapter for anyone who would like to know more about the disease and related dementias.

The program will be offered at The Manor House (427 E. Main St.) in Batavia at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 10.

Attendees will learn:  

• Symptoms and effects of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia
• How Alzheimer’s affects the brain
• Causes and risk factors
• How to find out if it’s Alzheimer’s disease 
• The benefits of early detection
• Treatment
• Resources in your community, including the Alzheimer’s Association WNY Chapter  

There is no cost to attend this public presentation, but registration is encouraged by calling 1.800.272.3900.

Town of Batavia fire is on scene at Quality Inn & Suites in Batavia, where a chief has reported a broken sprinkler system has caused flooding.

He's requested code enforcement to the scene to assist.

More than 700 National Grid customers in Darien are without power this morning.

The outage began about an hour ago and National Grid estimates that power will be restored about 7:15 a.m.

The area of the outage is from the county line on the west to Bowen Road, and from the county line on the south to just south of Darien Lake Theme Park.

We have no information on the cause of the outage.

A shed fire is reported at 8449 North Lake Road, Pembroke.

A chief on scene reports that it looks like the only thing in the shed is a motorcycle.

Pembroke fire, Indian Falls fire, and the City's Fast team dispatched.

UPDATE 5:56 a.m.: Indian Falls engine returning; in service. 

UPDATE 6:46 a.m.: All units back in service. Fire coordinators and deputies remaining in scene. 

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul was in Batavia at Genesee Community College today to review Gov. Andrew Cuomo's State of the State speech.

After cheering the Buffalo Bills and talking a bit about how well Batavia and Genesee County are doing, Hochul highlighted key elements of the speech, which outlines some of the issues the governor's office will take on in 2018.

These issues include: stepping in and filling the gap, like many other states, left by the Trump Administration's announced withdrawal from the Paris Accord on Climate Change; expanding high-speed broadband in rural parts of the state; continuing to address the opiate addiction crisis; improving the lives of children through improved access to nutritious meals, through addressing lead exposure, and expanding after-school programs; ending the state's practice of suspending professional licenses for people who default on student loans; addressing workplace sexual harassment, including among elected officials; bail reform; improving ballot access; and ethics reform for the Legislature.

Hochul also praised the efforts of Cuomo to improve the business climate in New York.

She said under Cuomo's leadership, the state has controlled spending and lowered taxes. The corporate tax rate is the lowest it's been since 1968, she said, and the middle-class rate is the lowest it's been since 1947.

"Keep these numbers in your head," Hochul said. "When you walk around and here people say taxes are too high, they’ve come down dramatically under this governor."

She pointed to the state's investment in infrastructure as another factor in the state's improved economic outlook, noting, too that there are now 8.1 million jobs in the state and the unemployment rate has dropped dramatically during Cuomo's tenure.

The Cuomo Administration has also pushed for paid family leave, tuition-free college for qualifying students, and Raise the Age, a reform that will allow 16- and 17-year-olds accused of some crimes who would have been prosecuted as adults in the past to be moved to Family Court.

Hochul said that while she represents all of New York, Batavia is always a special place to visit. This was her 31st trip to Batavia since becoming lieutenant governor. 

She is excited by the progress she's seeing, from the Downtown Revitalization award to the entry of HP Hood into the former Muller Quaker plant, and the promise of high-tech jobs in Alabama.

"Just talk about the STAMP project," Hochul said. "Yes, it's taking a little longer than we want, I understand that, but there has been $50 million from the State for Ludlow Construction for the infrastructure they've put in at the site during the summertime. That's going to be transformative. That's going to be a magnet."

Speaking with the press after the event, Hochul attacked the GOP tax plan passed in December by the House and the Senate and signed by President Trump just before Christmas. She said it was bad for the working people of New York.

"This one came down to calling on our entire congressional delegation to stand with New Yorkers and four did not, which is appalling to me," Hochul said. "Four individuals broke from their colleagues in the same party in New York and said, 'we don't care.' Now we've got a fight on our hands."

That fight could include dropping the state's income tax and switching to a payroll tax. Such a change, in theory, would not change the take-home pay for workers. Their employers would pay the same amount of tax they currently deduct from paychecks, but it would be pre-tax (federal tax) money. Workers would then not be double taxed (which is the case if they can't deduct the money they pay in taxes to the state on their federal returns).

"Everything is on the table," Hochul said. "We're looking at what other states have done. We're looking at what we can do legally. We believe it is unconstitutional to have double taxation. It's something our Founding Fathers discussed. It's talking about states rights and how not to trample on them. It's amazing to me how people in Washington will pick and choose which states rights they want to protect."